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Is Your Rash a Symptom of COVID-19?

AHA Publisher — Sun, 10 May 2020 07:00:22 +0000

Dr. Don Colbert – As weeks go by during the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more information surfaces regarding the disease and transmission, the mortality rate, and the symptoms. Just last week there were reports of kids’ toes and fingers having a “frostbite” appearance. Now, there are numerous reports of rashes on the skin of adults and kids linked as a symptom of COVID-19. Here is a summary of the reports, the types of rashes seen, and what it means for you. Rash Reports as a Symptom of COVID-19 When this all started, we were mostly concerned about respiratory symptoms and lung damage. And, we still are. But, as many people seem to be asymptomatic without any typical symptom of COVID-19, it’s become interesting to learn how the virus is manifesting in different people. Possibly even causing skin rashes. Doctors and studies from Spain, France, and China have indicated that rashes may be a part of the disease progression. Early studies only found 0.2% of patients with rashes (1). However, Italian researchers have stated a 20% rash-rate among COVID-19 patients in their study. This study was conducted by dermatologists, who are experts at identifying changes and subtle abnormalities in the skin (2). Why Rashes? The skin often acts as a conduit of inflammation or immune system reactions in the body. In fact, many viral illnesses are hallmarked by rashes, including chickenpox, measles, and hand, foot, and mouth disease. The body’s immune response to the disease itself causes a rash on the skin. Other examples include rosacea and eczema, which is often caused by an immune response to an allergen. What’s unique with the COVID-19 rashes, though, is that most of them are being seen in adults and not children. Typically, rash-related viral diseases are found in younger patients. However, this may simply be due to fewer children being tested. Since many children may be carrying the disease but are otherwise asymptomatic, they are likely not being seen by medical professionals. Types of Rashes as a Symptom of COVID-19 The types of rashes in the reports vary. Some appear as tiny red spots, while others appear as larger flat or raised lesions. Others are more like hives. And, as noted, some skin changes look like frostbitten toes. In the studies, researchers have reported the rash symptom of COVID-19 as 5 types: “maculopapular” rash, or one that’s characteristic of viral infections with red bumps on reddish skin “urticaria” rash characteristic of hives ‘livedo” rash with a lace-like or fishnet pattern “vesicular eruption” or blistering rash Frostbite-like rash on the toes, unofficially dubbed “COVID toes” The different types of rashes, and the varying times of onset and lack of consistency from patient to patient, makes it tough to know for sure if the rashes are truly a COVID symptom. But, as more reports come out, it seems likely that there is a connection between these rashes and a positive COVID test. Time Will Tell If Your Rash Was a Symptom of COVID-19 Once research has the chance to catch up with this pandemic, and tissues samples are examed to determine if COVID-19 can be detected in skin cells, we will know more. Hopefully, researchers will be able to agree on the most common symptoms and streamline the testing for them in the future. If you believe you are positive for COVID-19 and would like to add your data regarding rashes, a task force with the American Academy of Dermatology has created an online COVID-19 dermatology registry. The survey takes just 5-7 minutes and does not collect any personal data. This data may help doctors pinpoint rashes as a distinct COVID-19 symptom for possible future outbreaks. Bottom Line Are rashes yet another symptom of COVID-19 emerging as we work through this pandemic. It may be. Scientists, doctors, and researchers are doing their best to collect real-time data. This data, combined with future research, will hopefully give us a better understanding of the COVID-19 virus. To read the original article click here. For more articles from Dr. Colbert click here.

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U.S. Government Funded Virus Research Inside China With a $3.7 Million Grant?

AHA Publisher — Sun, 26 Apr 2020 07:00:20 +0000

Sara Middleton, staff writer via NaturalHealth365 – What’s the term you always hear about exercising caution when consuming the news? “Follow the money.” It’s truly a sad state of affairs when the public has to worry about whether their governments were more involved in this coronavirus pandemic than they’ve been led to believe. But, we may just have to look at the paper trail. (NaturalHealth365) As we reported over two months ago, infectious disease experts and others have long speculated that the new and deadly strain of coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, originated in a Chinese lab that studies dangerous pathogens. Now, in a bombshell turn of events, reports are coming out that the U.S. government has been funding this very lab for many years! Coronavirus Research in China Got Financial Support from the U.S. Government The controversial lab in question is a BSL-4 facility at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. It’s one of the handful of labs in the world with the highest biosafety certification required to do research on extremely dangerous pathogens like: the Ebola virus, small pox, and yes – coronavirus. The fact that the Wuhan lab conducts experiments with both bats and coronaviruses is a matter of “public record” according to the BBC. Moreover, it turns out that the United States government has been funding this kind of sickening research. No doubt, this video reveals only part of the story. We, at NaturalHealth365, will continue to monitor this story as the facts get revealed. In the video, the White House acknowledges that the lab was given “a substantial amount of money” from the National Institutes of Health during the Obama administration – with reports indicating it was for $3.7 million! If indeed the virus got its true origins at the American-funded Chinese lab, it’s yet to be determined if the virus leaked out accidentally or was maliciously released as a bioweapon. Mainstream Media Finally Recognizes a Disturbing Link Between the U.S. and China Mainstream media outlets are reporting more and more about the potential link between the COVID-19 pandemic and a China laboratory. In an April 17 interview on NPR’s Morning Edition with Steve Inskeep, NPR’s national security correspondent Greg Myre responded to questions about whether he believed the virus that causes COVID-19 did in fact come from Wuhan’s BSL-4 facility. While Myre cautions that there’s still “lots to learn” about the potential link, he goes on to acknowledge that the United States intelligence government is actively investigating the possibility and that, of course, “Wuhan Institute of Virology just a handful of miles away from where the wet market was.” “The intelligence community hasn’t trusted the Chinese explanations, and it sees their ongoing behavior as suspicious,” Myre continues. “But they’re not prepared to make a final assessment.” Also in the interview was a reference to a jaw-dropping statement from U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who said last week that Beijing “needs to come clean” about the government’s knowledge about where the virus came from and how it spread. Conversely, a study published in March in Nature Medicine found no genetic evidence that the virus was created in a lab, and as recently as April 18th, officials from the Chinese lab itself, including vice director Yuan Zhiming, have vehemently denied the claim. We’ll be watching this news story very closely over the coming days, weeks, and months. This article has been modified. To read the original article click here.

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Africa in the Path of COVID-19

AHA Publisher — Sun, 19 Apr 2020 07:00:07 +0000

Colombia University’s Mailman School of Public Health – In a New England Journal of Medicine paper, researchers urge a coordinated global effort in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, with counties around the world [taking] concrete step to assist Africa in staying ahead of the curve, even as they confront their own epidemics. In a New England Journal of Medicine “Perspective” published today, Wafaa El-Sadr, MD, MPH, global director of ICAP at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, and Jessica Justman, MD, ICAP’s senior technical director, and associate professor of epidemiology, urge a coordinated global effort in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, with “countries around the world [taking] concrete steps to assist Africa in staying ahead of the curve, even as they confront their own epidemics.” “When HIV spread like wildfire across the African continent, it took decades for the world to mobilize a response. Epidemics know no borders, and success in controlling the epidemic in any one country will be limited if epidemics continue to rage elsewhere. Today, we have the chance to avoid a repeat of history. Africans are doing their part. Now is the time for us to do ours,” write the authors. This article has been modified. To read the original article click here.

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Ask the Expert: MSU Veterinarian Dispels Myths About Pets and COVID-19

AHA Publisher — Sat, 11 Apr 2020 07:00:10 +0000

Michigan State University via Newswise – Since first hearing about the COVID-19 outbreak in China, media outlets around the world have reported on strains of the virus originating in animals, on pets testing positive for the virus and most recently, on a tiger testing positive for COVID-19 at the Bronx Zoo. Annette O’Connor – chairperson of the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences and professor of Epidemiology at Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine – says that there are seven different types of coronaviruses and that the Centers for Disease Control doesn’t believe the COVID-19 strain can be transmitted to domestic animals. However, O’Connor explains that since COVID-19 is a new virus, it’s critical for humans to take extra precautions around animals and pets since there isn’t a wealth of research about the virus. O’Connor answers common questions related to COVID-19 and pets: Can My Pets Get Sick from COVID-19? At this time, we have very limited information about animals and COVID-19 because it is too new of a virus. However, if pets do get sick, we would expect them to have signs such as diarrhea, vomiting or respiratory problems, like trouble breathing. If you are concerned about your pet, you should do what you would usually do: isolate them and contact your veterinarian. Am I at Risk for Catching COVID-19 From an Animal? The transmission we see currently see of COVID-19 is human-to-human transmission. We do continue to see rare reports of cats and dogs that live with COVID-infected patients being infected. To date, we have no evidence that owners can “catch” the virus from cats or dogs because we have no evidence that naturally infected cats and dogs shed the virus. However, as this is a very new virus, pet owners need to continue to follow routine practices for pet hygiene recommended by the American Veterinary Medical Association. These guidelines include washing your hands after petting animals, avoiding touching your face, don’t kiss your pet, and don’t share dishes, drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, towels or bedding with other people or pets. So what about the tiger at the Bronx zoo who tested positive? The detection of the virus that causes COVID-19 in the tiger is interesting, because it appears to be an example of the transmission from humans to tiger – a very rare event. This finding has highlighted the concern for our wild animal populations, and staff at zoos have adopted practices that will protect these valuable populations. If I Have – or Someone I Know Has – COVID-19, Can My Pet Catch It? If an owner is ill with COVID-19, as suggested by the CDC, they should isolate themselves from the pets and have another household member care for them. If isolation of the pet isn’t possible, continue to use frequent hand washing and avoid touching your face. Also remember: if your pet requires veterinary care, make sure you inform your veterinarian that you or a household member is ill with COVID-19. That information will allow your veterinarian to take adequate precautions. Can My Pets “Catch” the Virus that Causes COVID-19 from Other Pets? There is evidence that cats can catch COVID-19 from other cats – but there is only a small amount of evidence at this point. The largest study we have only involved 102 cats from Wuhan, China; of the 102 tested, only 11 had antibodies to COVID-19. None had evidence of the virus, so they were probably infected some time ago. In that study we also don’t know how the cats became infected, perhaps they were infected from humans, or maybe cat-to-cat transmission does occur. We need to wait for more data. To read the original article click here.

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Social Isolation: Find Ways to Connect Now For Health’s Sake

AHA Publisher — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 07:00:10 +0000

Dr. Don Colbert – Whether you’re currently feeling lonely or not, we can all help each other by finding ways to connect now. If you suspect someone in your family, community, church, or other circle is feeling lonely, reach out. For your own sake, try connecting using our 5 ideas or others. As a society, our health and lives depend on it. Everyone can feel alone from time to time. But these days, social isolation is forcing us to miss out on face-to-face connection with loved ones, friends, and community. What’s the cost? For some, isolation and being alone is okay. For others, it’s increasingly lonely, causing anxiety, stress, and depression. Here’s why we must find ways to connect now for ourselves or others, including 5 ideas to try today. What Is Loneliness? Loneliness isn’t necessarily being alone. Depending on the person, being alone can feel perfectly comfortable. They are content with the quiet and time by themselves. Loneliness is more about feeling alone. It’s the discrepancy between a person’s preferred and actual social relations (1). The greater the discrepancy, it greater the risk of negative emotions and feelings of being alone and distressed (2). Symptoms of clinical loneliness include: Feeling socially isolated, even when not physically alone Feeling alienated from others Not having close friends you trust Feeling like you’re not understood by others Lacking a connection with other people on an intimate level Lacking self-worth These feelings can lead to many health risk and conditions due to fatigue, trouble sleeping, suppressed immune system, weight gain, inflammation, stress, and more. It’s important to realize that loneliness can affect the young, old, and middle-aged, it can affect women and men, introverts and extroverts. Loneliness and Health Whether for your own health or others’, it’s vital that we find ways to connect now as a community in order to help anyone who may feel lonely. Loneliness is connected to heart health, mental health, mortality, and other disease conditions. Loneliness vs. Heart Disease As we discussed at length in this post, researchers have found that loneliness and isolation can be as harmful for heart health as smoking 15 cigarettes per day and being obese. The researchers found that those who did not feel lonely, with strong social relationships, had a 50% increase in survival despite their heart condition. This finding was consistent with other strong risk factors of premature death, including known cardiovascular risk factors (5). Yet another study from Denmark found that heart health patients who were also lonely were about twice as likely to die from heart attacks and/or heart disease than those who were not lonely. Loneliness and Mental Health Other studies have focused on mental health. Those who report feeling lonely in studies are about 3 times as likely to also suffer anxiety and depression with a poorer quality of life. Loneliness is linked to increased suicide risk, poorer sleep, and less optimism. Loneliness and Mortality Study after study has shown that loneliness simply increases mortality. For example: It’s well-accepted from research that loneliness and increased blood pressure are linked in middle-aged and older adults. And, the risk increases with every year of age (6, 7). Young adults are affected by loneliness and health concerns as well. Researchers are now seeing elevated systolic blood pressure and increases in total peripheral resistance (TPR) in adults up to 40 years of age. The evidence shows this link in young adults who are lonely vs. those who are not (8, 9,). The prevalence of loneliness and its risk of premature death is high enough to warrant intervention (10). Chronic social isolation and loneliness increase the risk of premature death similar to known factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, and obesity (11). Loneliness and Suicide Interestingly, a study from the 1920s can help us today. After the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic, researchers found in the rise in suicide rates during the subsequent years. This may have been the first real study to link forced social isolation with mental health and suicide. The unemployment rate that followed the social isolation likely also contributed to suicides. This is a risk we face today as well. Since then, researchers have continued to study the link between social isolation, depression, mental health, physical health, and suicide. Who’s Lonely? No one is exempt from potentially loneliness and its health consequences, especially during our current social isolation. Older adults may be at very high risk especially if they are not able to leave the house at all and are dependent on others for shopping. Young kids may have a tough time understanding why they can’t interact with friends. Single adults may be feeling a loss of connection due to work-at-home, unemployment, loss of social activities and more. Even those in a family setting may feel alone without friend groups, exercise groups, work colleagues, and interaction outside their family unit. Connection is the key. And while a virtual connection may not be as good as physical connection, it can still help us get by until we can be in close proximity again. For the sake of your health and others, it’s vital to find ways to connect right now. 5 Ways to Connect Now Virtual Church. Many Americans are dearly are missing their church connections. But for now, virtual church can fill the gap. If your home church has not been able to set up virtual church, look for another one online. Many churches are offering Sunday morning streaming, radio (and Internet radio) programming, and more. Phone calls and Face Time. For many Americans, it’s been a long time since we’ve enjoyed talking by phone or Face Time compared to a quick text message. But, hearing loved one’s voices and seeing their faces offers more of a connection than texts. So call someone you haven’t connected recently. Or, get a group of friends together at once on a free google meet-up or Zoom call. Old Fashioned Letters. Another sense of connection comes with seeing a loved one’s handwriting. A lot has been lost in modern culture with the lost art of writing letters. Take some time today to write a card or letter to a loved one. Start a new tradition of sending letters back and forth. Involve your kids and teach them the value of letter writing. Recipe Shares. One of the greatest gifts of connection God has given us is a shared meal. There is something magical about sitting down with loved ones, new friends, or even strangers, and sharing a meal. If this is a connection you miss, send out a text or email to a small group of friends asking for their favorite recipes. Then, make the ones that sound good. It will remind you of your friend and offer a reprieve from the boredom of the same meals over and over. One to share? Try Dr. Colbert’s Favorite Immune Boosting Dinner. Videos for Loved Ones: Recitals, Reading to Kids, and Dance Routines. Especially if you’re missing the small kids in your extended family, ask them to send videos of their newest yo-yo tricks, dance moves, favorite songs to sing or more. Kids typically can’t resist making and sending videos. Then, you can also video yourself reading a children’s book for them so they can receive your connection as well. Bottom Line Whether you’re currently feeling lonely or not, we can all help each other by finding ways to connect now. If you suspect someone in your family, community, church, or other circle is feeling lonely, reach out. For your own sake, try connecting using our 5 ideas or others. As a society, our health and lives depend on it. In what ways are you connecting now? To read the original article click here. For more articles by Dr. Colbert click here.

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How Effective Is Quarantine Alone or in Combination with Other Public Health Measures to Control Coronavirus (COVID-19)?

AHA Publisher — Thu, 09 Apr 2020 07:00:57 +0000

Wiley via EurekAlert – Currently, there are no effective medicines or vaccines available to treat or prevent COVID-19. For this reason, restrictive public health measures such as isolation, physical distancing, and quarantine have been used in a number of countries to reduce transmission of the virus. Today, Cochrane publishes a new Rapid Review looking at quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic. The review summarizes evidence available from modelling studies that show how quarantining affects the spread of COVID-19. The studies included in the review consistently conclude that quarantine can play a role in controlling the spread of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. While early implementation of quarantine and its combination with other public health measures may reduce spread of the disease, key uncertainties remain as to how these measures can best be adopted and when they can be relaxed. Currently, there are no effective medicines or vaccines available to treat or prevent COVID-19. For this reason, restrictive public health measures such as isolation, physical distancing, and quarantine have been used in a number of countries to reduce transmission of the virus. Isolation refers to the separation of people with symptoms from others, whereas quarantine is the restriction of people who have no symptoms, but who have had contact with people with confirmed or suspected infection. Quarantine can be implemented on a voluntary basis or can be legally enforced by authorities, and it may be applied at an individual, group, or community level. This Rapid Review was done in a short space of time as part of Cochrane’s organizational effort to meet the need for up-to-date summaries of evidence to support decision-making in combating the effects and impact of COVID-19. Cochrane researchers used abbreviated systematic review methods to address the following questions as quickly as possible: Is quarantine of asymptomatic individuals who were in contact with a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 effective to control the COVID-19 outbreak? Are there differences in the effectiveness of quarantine in different settings? How effective is quarantine when combined with other interventions, such as case isolation, school closures, or antiviral drugs, in reducing transmission, incidence of diseases, and death? Is quarantine of individuals coming from a country with a declared COVID-19 outbreak effective in controlling the COVID-19 outbreak? The authors identified 29 relevant studies. Of these, 10 focused on COVID-19, 15 focused on related evidence on SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), two focused on SARS and other viruses, and two focused on MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome). The 10 studies addressing COVID-19 were all modelling studies simulating outbreak scenarios in China, the UK, and South Korea, and on a cruise ship. The COVID-19 modelling studies included in the review consistently report a benefit of quarantine measures and show similar findings from studies on SARS and MERS. The authors of this Cochrane Review concluded that: Quarantine of people exposed to confirmed cases may avert high proportions of infections and deaths compared to no measures. The effect of quarantine of travelers from a country with a declared outbreak to avert transmission and deaths was small. In general, the combination of quarantine with other prevention and control measures, such as school closures, travel restrictions, and physical distancing, had a greater effect on the reduction of transmissions, cases which required critical care beds, and deaths compared with quarantine alone. More comprehensive and early implementation of prevention and control measures may be more effective in containing the COVID-19 outbreak. The researchers rate their confidence in the results to be low or very low because of the way that the models used in the studies were developed. They are based on assumptions about the true prevalence of infection, which could be updated when we know more about this aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the authors also stress the importance of using information about the local context in deciding on how measures such as quarantining should be adopted and when they can be lifted. Lead author Barbara Nußbaumer-Streit said “This Cochrane Review shows that while quarantine may help in containing the COVID-19 outbreak, decision-makers will need to constantly monitor the outbreak situation locally in order to maintain the best possible balance of measures in place, and that there is an acceptable trade-off between benefits and harms.” Cochrane Editor in Chief, Karla Soares-Weiser, added, “The spread of coronavirus presents a major challenge for governments all over the world. Cochrane has a duty to provide the best available evidence to support policy-making, balancing rigour with speed. We have fast-tracked this review because it addresses one of the highest priority questions we have identified. This review is particularly helpful for decision makers looking for evidence to inform their decisions around the implementation of quarantine measures.” To read the original article click here.

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Treating Patients with Severe COVID-19 Using Nitric Oxide

AHA Publisher — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 07:00:28 +0000

University of Alabama at Birmingham via Newswise – The University of Alabama at Birmingham has been selected to begin enrolling patients in an international study assessing the use of inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) to improve outcomes for COVID-19 patients with severely damaged lungs. Newswise — BIRMINGHAM, Ala —Currently, there are no approved treatment options available against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, although many medications are currently being tested to see if they may be effective. Acute respiratory distress syndrome, a severe form of lung failure, is the leading cause of death in COVID-19. iNO has been used for the treatment of failing lungs, but it was also found to have antiviral properties against coronaviruses. The antiviral effect of iNO was tested and demonstrated during the 2002-2003 SARS pandemic, which was caused by a similar coronavirus called the SARS-CoV virus. When lungs are failing, some parts of the lungs receive air while some do not. iNO is a gas that improves the blood flow to those areas of the lung that are receiving air, boosting the amount of oxygen circulating in the blood stream. It also reduces the work of the right side of the heart, which is under extreme stress during conditions of lung failure, such as severe COVID-19 infection. With the start of this trial, any COVID-19 patient who is admitted to UAB’s ICU and is breathing with the assistance of a ventilator may potentially qualify for the study. Learn more about coronavirus here. “This trial will allow the sickest COVID-19 patients at UAB access to a rescue therapy that may have antiviral benefits in addition to improving the status of lungs,” said Vibhu Parcha, M.D., a research fellow with UAB’s Division of Cardiovascular Disease. Pankaj Arora, M.D., assistant professor in the division, is spearheading UAB’s efforts in providing this treatment option to eligible COVID-19 patients. The mechanism of benefit of iNO could be the direct antiviral effect as shown in the SARS 2003 pandemic, modulation of oxidative stress, or improvement of the ventilation perfusion matching in the lungs, Arora says. His group plans to study the cardiovascular effects of high-dose inhaled NO in an ancillary effort to the primary clinical trial. “In humans, nitric oxide is generated within the blood vessels and regulates blood pressure, and prevents the formation of clots and also destroys potential toxins,” Arora said. The UAB team says this pandemic has led to an extraordinary unifying response by the medical community, including ICU physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, clinical trial specialists, reviewers and medical administrators, allowing for faster than normal approvals for potentially life-saving research studies. “The fact that we are able to get this trial started quickly was due to collaborations across specialties and fields of expertise at UAB with the common goal of providing the highest quality of scientifically proven care for our COVID-19 patients,” Arora said. “We are all trying to fight this together, and I hope, with our resilience, we shall overcome these difficult times.” As the coronavirus pandemic grows each day, the medical community has been working tirelessly to help people infected with COVID-19. For up-to-date information about UAB and how to protect yourself, visit uab.edu/coronavirus. To read this original article click here.

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Development of New System for Combatting COVID-19 That Can Be Used for Other Viruses

AHA Publisher — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 07:00:01 +0000

University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston via EurekAlert – A multidisciplinary team at The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston working to combat the COVID-19 virus has a system that will unlock researchers’ ability to more quickly develop and evaluate developing vaccines, diagnose infected patients and explore whether or how the virus has evolved. GALVESTON, Texas – The scientists, led by Pei-Yong Shi, developed the system by engineering a reverse genetic system for SARS coronavirus 2, or SARS-CoV-2, that is causing the current COVID-19 pandemic. The study is currently available in Cell Host & Microbe. A Reverse genetic system is one of the most useful tools for studying and combatting viruses. The system allows researchers to make the virus in the lab and manipulate it in a petri dish. Using this system, the UTMB team has engineered a version of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that is labeled with neon green. When the labeled virus infects a cell, the infected cell turns green. “The labeled virus could be used to rapidly determine whether a patient has already been infected by the new coronavirus or evaluate how well developing vaccines are inducing antibodies that block infection of the virus. The level of antibodies induced by a vaccine is the most important parameter in predicting how well a vaccine works,” said Shi, I.H. Kempner professor of Human Genetics at UTMB. “The neon green labeled virus system allows us to test patients’ samples in 12 hours in a high-throughput manner that tests many samples at once. In contrast, the conventional method can only test a few specimens at a time with a long turnaround time of a week.” “This technology can significantly reduce how long it takes to evaluate developing vaccines and ultimately bring them to the market,” said Xuping Xie, the UTMB Research Scientist who designed and developed the genetic system. “UTMB will be very happy to make this technology widely available to both academia and industry researchers working to quickly develop countermeasures.” “The genetic system allows us to study the evolution of the new coronavirus. This will help us to understand how the virus jumped from its original host bat species to humans. It remains to be determined if an intermediate host is required for the host switch from the original bats to humans for the new coronavirus,” said Vineet Menachery, Assistant Professor at UTMB, who co-senior-authored the study. “The system has provided a critical tool for the research community.” “This is another example of team science at UTMB,” said Dr. Ben Raimer, President ad Interim of UTMB. “The collective effort from teams with complementary expertise worked together to deliver this exciting study. We will expand the team science to areas of clinical care and patient diagnosis by deploying the technology for serological testing.” Shi said, “This will not be the last emerging virus that plagues humanity. In the past two decades, we’ve seen other coronaviruses like SARS and MERS, as well as other viruses like Zika, Ebola and others. It’s critically important to have a system that can be used for any new future or re-emerging viruses so that we can very quickly respond to the pathogens and protect peoples’ health.” To read the original article click here.

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A New Antiviral Drug Heading into Clinical Trials Offers Hope for COVID-19 Treatment

AHA Publisher — Tue, 07 Apr 2020 07:00:36 +0000

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill via EurekAlert – Scientists are hopeful that a new drug — called EIDD-2801 — could change the way doctors treat COVID-19. The drug shows promise in reducing lung damage, has finished testing in mice and will soon move to human clinical trials. As of April 3, the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 had infected more than 1 million people with COVID-19 and caused more than 58,000 deaths in a worldwide pandemic. Currently, no antiviral drugs have been approved to treat SARS-CoV-2 or any of the other coronaviruses that cause human disease. Researchers at the UNC-Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health are playing a key role in the development and testing of EIDD-2801. Virologists in the lab of William R. Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor of epidemiology Ralph Baric, are working with colleagues in the lab of Mark Denison, Edward Claiborne Stahlman Professor of pediatrics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), and with George Painter, chief executive officer of the nonprofit DRIVE (Drug Innovation Ventures at Emory) and director of the Emory Institute for Drug Development (EIDD), where EIDD-2801 was discovered. The results of the team’s most recent study were published online April 6 by the journal Science Translational Medicine. The paper includes data from cultured human lung cells infected with SARS-CoV-2, as well as mice infected with the related coronaviruses SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. The study found that, when used as a prophylactic, EIDD-2801 can prevent severe lung injury in infected mice. EIDD-2801 is an orally available form of the antiviral compound EIDD-1931; it can be taken as a pill and can be properly absorbed to travel to the lungs. When given as a treatment 12 or 24 hours after infection has begun, EIDD-2801 can reduce the degree of lung damage and weight loss in mice. This window of opportunity is expected to be longer in humans, because the period between coronavirus disease onset and death is generally extended in humans compared to mice. “This new drug not only has high potential for treating COVID-19 patients, but also appears effective for the treatment of other serious coronavirus infections,” said senior author Baric. Compared with other potential COVID-19 treatments that must be administered intravenously, EIDD-2801 can be delivered by mouth as a pill. In addition to ease of treatment, this offers a potential advantage for treating less-ill patients or for prophylaxis — for example, in a nursing home where many people have been exposed but are not yet sick. “We are amazed at the ability of EIDD-1931 and -2801 to inhibit all tested coronaviruses and the potential for oral treatment of COVID-19. This work shows the importance of ongoing National Institutes of Health (NIH) support for collaborative research to develop antivirals for all pandemic viruses, not just coronaviruses” said Andrea Pruijssers, the lead antiviral scientist in the Denison Lab at VUMC. Denison was senior author of a December 2019 study that first reported that EIDD-1931 blocked the replication of a broad spectrum of coronaviruses. These interinstitutional collaborators, supported by an NIH grant through the University of Alabama at Birmingham, also performed the preclinical development of remdesivir, another antiviral drug currently in clinical trials of patients with COVID-19. In the new Science Translational Medicine paper, Maria Agostini, a postdoctoral fellow in the Denison lab, demonstrated that viruses that show resistance to remdesivir experience higher inhibition from EIDD-1931. “Viruses that carry remdesivir resistance mutations are actually more susceptible to EIDD-1931 and vice versa, suggesting that the two drugs could be combined for greater efficacy and to prevent the emergence of resistance,” said Painter. Clinical studies of EIDD-2801 in humans are expected to begin later this spring. If they are successful, the drug could not only be used to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2, but also could control future outbreaks of other emerging coronaviruses. “With three novel human coronaviruses emerging in the past 20 years, it is likely that we will continue to see more,” said first author Timothy Sheahan, a Gillings assistant professor of epidemiology and a collaborator in the Baric Lab. “EIDD-2801 holds promise to not only treat COVID-19 patients today, but to treat new coronaviruses that may emerge in the future.” To read the original article click here.

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